by LaJill Hunt
"Leah, it's your good ole neighbor, come open the door!"
I didn't move. My heart was beating so loud that I wondered if he could hear it through the door.
He knocked again, harder this time, "Hey, Leah!"
"Stop being loud, 'Mari! She might not even be home," a female voice laughed.
I was shocked.
"Her car is there, she's home," he said and knocked again, "Leah, I got somebody for you to meet."
"I can meet her another time. Come on, I wanna go to bed," the female said.
I remained sitting in the middle of my bed, unable to move. The tears started falling and I silently cried as I waited for him to finally leave. The next morning, I woke up bright and early. I headed to work before Omari would be out for his morning run. I heard him and the female laughing and talking all the way into the late night. I turned the volume on the tv in my bedroom up loud, fearing that I would be forced to listen to the sounds of their lovemaking. As I backed out of my driveway, I noticed the female's car still in the driveway.
Life Sentence
Omari
"That's crazy," I said to Shaunie as we walked out of my apartment. When I went for my morning run, Leah's car wasn't home. I was hoping she would have made it back by the time I finished my run, but she wasn't. I had been so surprised when Shaunie showed up on my doorstep. My sister looked amazing, and I couldn't believe how much she had matured. She was right, me and Mama did good. After I got off work, we went to put flowers on Mama's grave and then grabbed a bite to eat. I wanted to let Leah know what was going on, and that I wasn't gonna be able to go running, but she didn't have a phone.
"Maybe she had a breakfast date," Shaunie teased.
"She didn't have a damn breakfast date!" I snapped, "Something's not right."
"Wow, calm down, big brother," she said. "I was just joking. You're really feeling this girl, huh? Now, I really wanna meet her."
"I told you, we're not like that. She's been through a lot, and she's not even trying to be in a relationship."
"How do you know? Did you ask her?"
"No," I shook my head, "I ain't trying to scare her by pressing up on her. I'm just her friend."
"Then how do you know that she just wants to be friends?"
"Because, I know. I know the vibe I get from her, and it says 'friend,'" I sighed. "So, what's on your agenda for the day?"
Shaunie was still dressed in her pajamas as she walked me to my truck, "You mean after I wake up from the nap I'm about to go back and take? I got some friends I wanna go and see, not like the ones you and Leah are, but real friends. And I wanna go by and see Coach and Evelyn."
"Yeah, Coach is really excited to see you. I'm sure Evelyn is too. I told him when I got to work, and he wanted to know why I didn't bring you to work with me," I laughed.
"Maybe we can all go to dinner, and you can invite Leah to join us," Shaunie suggested.
I grabbed my sister into a bear hug, lifting her off the ground, "Baby girl, you're brilliant. I probably got time to run by the day care and let Evelyn know."
"Put me down, stupid!" She playfully hit me on the head, and I put her back on the ground. I rushed to make sure I put our evening plans into motion before I got to work. I was pleasantly surprised to see Leah's car in the school parking lot when I pulled in. I smiled and hurried to the door, excited at the thought of seeing her. The building was secured, and you had to be buzzed in. I hit the intercom, and a voice demanded that I state my name and the nature of my business. Hoping it would get me a little more pull with gaining entrance, I proudly showed my Gordon's Paper Company id badge.
"Omari Parker for Evelyn Gordon," I said, thinking I would surprise Leah.
"One second," the woman said. A few moments later, she buzzed me in, "Through the double doors, make a left and her office is the second door on the right."
Walking down the corridor I glanced inside an open door, clearly not following direction. Leah. She was putting a handful of paint brushes into a bag. I tapped on the door.
"Hey there, " I smiled. "Fancy meeting you here."
I expected her to have some snappy come back, or at least return my smile, but instead, she just blinked and said, "What are you doing here?"
"I…uh….I came by…" I was so thrown off by her lack of emotion that I couldn't think straight. There was something off, "What's going on?"
"Nothing," she continued packing items into the large canvas bag.
"I came by last night. You didn't hear me knocking?"
"Nope, went to bed early so I could get an early start," she answered, then tossed the bag over her shoulder. "Well, thanks for stopping by on your way to wherever you're going. I'm headed downtown."
"Leah, wait a second," I stopped her. "What's wrong? Why are you acting weird? Is something going on? You wanna talk about it?"
"I'm fine. I have someone to meet, and I need to lock my door," she looked down at her watch.
"Oh," I said and walked out into the hallway.
"Enjoy your day," she said, after locking the door and not even looking at me. I watched her as she walked out of the door and shook my head.
"Omari," Evelyn said and gave me a hug, "What do I owe this surprise visit? Is Shaunie with you?"
"No, she's back at my place asleep. I came to check on Leah, really. Is everything alright with her?"
"As far as I know, she's fine. Why? Did something happen?" A panicked look came across Evelyn's face.
I didn't want her to worry without having a reason, so I said, "No, she left super early this morning, and I was just making sure she was okay."
"You're such a nice young man. I have to give it to my husband, he was right when he said having you live near Leah was a wise decision. Who knows, maybe one day we'll have to knock some walls down and turn those two apartments into a four-bedroom house," she laughed and winked at me.
I hugged Evelyn and told her, "On that note, I'm gone to work."
When I made it the parking lot, Leah was just getting into her car. I started to call after her, but instead, I just watched.
Women, I thought, the most confusing creature known to man.
My attention was drawn to a car parked on the side of the street. Inside was a man who was staring at Leah just as hard as I was. She didn't even look in the man's direction as she slowly pulled out of the parking lot and down the street, and after she had driven a slight distance, the man pulled behind her. I quickly jumped in my truck and became just as intent on following him as he was on following Leah.
Leah
Men, I thought, the most insensitive, dumbest invention God created.
I couldn't believe Omari had the nerve to act all concerned, as if he really cared. I wanted to ask him where his skank was, but instead, I kept it cool and acted as if his sudden appearance in my office was no big deal. It was a little difficult, because he was looking damn good in his work uniform. I still didn't figure out why he was even there.
He probably came by to see Evelyn and tell her all about his new boo.
I arrived at the restaurant and pulled myself together, grateful that I had a huge new project to help me get through my latest series of crises. Now I only wished that I had an assistant to help me carry my supplies inside. The thought of needing an assistant made me laugh.
"Well, I guess until that happens, I have to assist myself," I said aloud as I got out of my car and opened the trunk of the car.
"So, this is what you're doing now, huh?"
The voice seemed to come out of nowhere, sending chills down my spine and causing the hairs on my neck to stand up at the same time. I shook my head, praying that I was hearing things, but I slowly turned around and saw my nightmare standing in front of me.
"What…Kel…" I said. It took a minute for me to get my words together. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," he said. "I told myself that it couldn't be true. You know my father was the one that showed me the picture in the
paper? Do you know how that made me feel? My father, of all people. Here I was, worried about you…"
"No, you didn't," I said. "You've been lying this entire time, to my family, friends, everyone. You didn't give a damn about where I was or what I was doing. I'm at a facility across the country getting help."
"You were at a facility getting help. Sienna had the entire thing taken care of. She made sure it all remained confidential so that neither you nor the family's privacy would be jeopardized. You would think that you'd be a little more grateful. It was you who decided to up and leave there three weeks ago without saying anything to anyone."
I stared, listening at this incredulous story. Then, it dawned on me that he really did think I was at some loony bin tucked away somewhere, where no one would find out, all courtesy of his sister.
"You really have no clue, do you?" I asked, shaking my head at him, "This entire time, you had no fucking clue."
"You had no fucking clue, but you're about to have one now. Get your shit and let's go home," he grabbed my arm and I snatched away from him.
"No, I'm not going anywhere with you, Kellen. You need to leave now!"
"I'm leaving, but you're coming with me," he reached out for me again, this time pulling my hair.
I dropped the canvas bag that I was holding, and all of my brushes fell out. I looked at the spilled contents on the pavement while he yanked me, "Okay, Kellen. I'll go. Just please let me go."
"Do you know how fucking embarrassed I was? All I ever did was love you, Leah. That's all. It was never enough was it? Is that why you did this to me?" He growled, putting his face close to mine.
I knew that he wouldn't let me go as long as he felt I was challenging him. "It was more than enough, Kellen. I'm sorry, baby. I would never want to embarrass you. I just needed time to get myself together, because…because… I lost… the baby."
At the sound of the word baby, Kellen seemed to calm down slightly. His grip loosened, and I tried to think of how I was going to escape. The parking lot was empty, and there was no one in the restaurant. The owner had given me a key to let myself in so I could work when I wanted to. I wished more than anything I had listened to Dallas and gotten a cell phone.
"We can go, Kellen. I just need to pick up my stuff," I whispered. Those brushes symbolized what had become my life of peace, and seeing them scattered on the ground seemed to crush my soul.
"Leave that shit there!" He snapped.
"I can't," I said through my tears. I bent down, scrambling to pick up my belongings, when Kellen's huge foot came crushing on my hand. I screamed in agony, overcome by a feeling of helplessness that I thought I would never have to experience again. I closed my eyes in pain and started to pray for God to somehow, someway, help me.
"Get the fuck off her!"
I thought I was dreaming. I looked up and saw a fist flying to Kellen's face and him stagger backward, losing his balance and falling to the concrete beside me. I screamed and got out of the way as a man jumped on top of Kellen, punching him over and over again. Blood began spewing from his nose and although he kept trying to fight back, he was no match for his assailant. I didn't know what to do. My first instinct was to run away. I got on my feet—prepared to run like the wind—instantly I recognized what the stranger was wearing. The green shirt and khaki pants was as familiar to me as the brushes on the ground.
"Omari!" I screamed, "Oh, my God. STOP!"
He continued to punch Kellen as if he were possessed. I jumped on his back and tried to grab his arms.
"I'MMA KILL HIM!" He panted, raising his fist to strike again. I knew that he meant what he was saying. I could see it in his face and hear it in his voice.
"NO, baby please. Please stop," I pleaded and it was now me punching Omari's back, hoping that would make him stop. Kellen was now losing consciousness, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. I quickly made my way so that I was facing Omari and I grabbed his face, forcing him to look at me, "No, you can't do this. You can't. Look at me."
Omari paused and looked up at me, I stared and saw the tears streaming, mixed with the perspiration on his face. I had never felt so much love for one person in my life. This man had been through so much, and there was no way I was going to allow him to make another mistake, all in the name of trying to protect me.
"Leah," he said.
"He's not worth it, Omari. I swear to God, he's not worth it. Stop, he's had enough."
"He…he…"
"He's not worth all this," I smiled. "He's not. Get off him."
I reached for Omari's hand and helped him to his feet. Kellen lay motionless on the ground, and I feared that Omari had indeed killed him. I put my arms around Omari and held on for dear life. I was so afraid that once I let go, he would be gone. Someone must have seen what was going on and called the police. The sound of sirens came closer and closer, and I held on tighter. I knew what was coming next. If Kellen died, Omari would be faced with another murder sentence; if he lived, Omari would be no doubt have an assault charge. Either way, he was a repeat offender with two strikes already, and this would put him back in jail. It was the same thing over and over again for us both.
Epilogue
The Pardon
Somehow, some way, God heard my prayer. There's a song I once heard on a country music station titled "Bless the Broken Road" that I thought was crazy when I heard it. In the song, they actually are happy about all of the past heartaches and failures that happened, because had they not, they wouldn't have found their way to true love. At the time, I couldn't imagine being grateful for all the hell that I was going through. Now, as I look back, I wouldn't change a thing; because had it not happened, Omari and I would have never found one another. God had a purpose the entire time.
It wasn't Kellen who filed charges against Omari; it was I who filed the charges against Kellen. The security tape from the day care had captured Kellen sitting outside, watching and waiting for me. He was charged with felonious assault and stalking. After the charges were filed, he had no problem granting me a quick divorce along with a hefty settlement, which was more than I ever expected. I made a huge donation to the battered women's shelter and the day care. Omari and I purchased the duplex from the Gordon's and are in the process of renovating it into a four-bedroom house. It took a whole lotta hell and a long time coming, but I finally broke the curse and got my happily ever after.
Omari
Life sure has a funny way of turning around. Here I am, a two-time felon, who has spent over half my life in jail, now a manager at a Fortune 500 company and preparing to marry the woman of my dreams. A dream that I didn't even know I had until I met her. I still couldn't believe that Leah thought that Shaunie was my skank girlfriend. Had it not been for Kellen showing up, she probably would still be giving me the cold shoulder and the evil eye. So, I guess I kinda owe it to that brother for giving me the opportunity to shine like I did. The truth is, I really would have killed him. Leah was right about one thing, Kellen wasn't worth it, but it wasn't about him. It was about her. And she deserved to see him get every punch I gave him, for every time he put his hands on her. In that moment, not once did I think about the fact that I was jeopardizing my freedom. It didn't even matter. Not then, and not now. I would do it all over again if I had to. So, I guess Mama, Shaunie, and Coach Gordon were all right. I finally got what I deserved. A woman who loved me, despite all that I had been through. True Love. In all that I had been through, not once did I ever question God as to why it was happening. I knew that He had a plan for me. It took him a long time to reveal it, but I'm satisfied.
"Every long lost dream, led me to where you are.
Others who broke my heart, they were like Northern Stars,
Pointing me on my way, into your loving arms.
This much is true, God bless the broken road,
That led me straight to you."
Playing Time
"Come on Dragons! Get it together! Let's Go!"
The gym of Gordon
High School was packed and the crowd was on their feet as her son's team ran up and down the court. Jodie cheered as Patrick, the center of the team, and at 6'5, the tallest player went up for a lay-up and missed. Moans and groans replaced the cheers and Jodie caught Baron, her son out of the corner of her eye, sitting on the bench. Baron's face was filled with anger and he sat back in disgust, and she knew he was probably thinking the same thing she was. What the hell are they doing? The team was losing by seventeen points and there was less than five minutes left in the game. Baron, who was undoubtedly the most talented player on the team, hadn't touched the court all night. Then again, it was the fourth game of the season, and he hadn't touched the court. Although he hadn't said anything about it, she knew her son was bothered by the coach's decision to keep him on the bench.
"Get your head in the game, fellas!" Deon yelled, then turned to Jodie and asked, "What the hell is the coach doing? These are some stupid plays, and why doesn't he put Baron in?"
